So Close
by Of.Steel
Summary: Suppose Gaara had a childhood companion when young; suppose she was his protector. Would he be any different? And how far would he go to bring her back once she leaves, believing him dead...even with the war lingering close. Would he dare die again? GxOC
1. The Boy With the 'Love' Tattoo

Author's note:

So, here we go. Years ago, I used to write under a different pen name, but after a very...very, long hiatus, I have returned. New anime. New stories. This one, well...I have been debating whether or not to write it for a very long time. Anyway, I hope there's no huge G A P S in the story, but bear with me. I hope to make up for it with some plot-holes - I mean what?

Now, I present for you, in a single act:

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><p><strong>So Close<strong>

Chapter 1:

The Boy With the 'Love' Tattoo

_'A wound of a heart is different from a flesh wound. Unlike a flesh wound, there are no ointments to heal it, and there are times when they never heal.'_

Words buried in the ground with a buried man. What use were they now?

_'Do you live only for yourself, Gaara-sama? If this is so, then you are truly lost; if not, then time will reveal it to be so, and I can save you.'_

Now her words, drifting on the wind, out across the barren sands. What use were they out there? Unless they were spoken by her, they were emptier than the unbroken horizon of the desert.

Sabaku no Gaara leaned against the railings of the rooftop balcony, where the wind caught in his crimson hair and blew his Kazekage robes about him where his hands could not hold them. The silence was something he treasured. He had wandered up onto the rooftop after having attended Chiyo-baasama's funeral, something that attended without question - the woman had given up what was left of her life to save him, after all.

Footsteps upon the ground suddenly made Gaara aware that he was not alone. Thoughts momentarily broken, he turned to find Kankuro, dressed in his casual attire but with his face still painted, making his way out onto the rooftop, hands in his pockets. He was silent, until he joined Gaara by the railing and sighed heavily, leaning his weight them and staring out over the circular streets of Suna.

'Chiyo-baasama's funeral...' Kankuro started up, glancing across at his sullen-faced brother. 'You didn't seem to be there, Gaara. What happened?'

_What happened? _Gaara repeated to himself, and he almost smiled sadly. _Does he forget that I was dead? I had to watch them bury the woman who traded places with me..._

The thought wrung in his mind like a bell, uninterrupted by anything else. It was quiet inside his head, nowadays: having Shukaku removed from him was like having a shard of glass removed from his skin, gone unnoticed until it was actually taken away. He could barely orientate himself anymore.

Quite suddenly, Kankuro made sense of what Gaara had been thinking all along. 'If you're thinking about that Guardian of yours...I sent out a team. If she shows up, we'll know about it.'

Only the wind responded to him. Though his face was beginning to look disgruntled, Kankuro held his tongue. It was one thing for Gaara to be closed - but it seemed as though he was _sulking_ this time.

'Kankuro,' Gaara started, voice quiet. 'I'm not sure...that she wants to be found. I think... She thinks that I am still dead.'

* * *

><p><em>But a child, Gaara already knew, far too well, the harsh nature of the world. It was beautiful, but it was also ugly, and it left scars on those who could not quite handle it, like a kunai in the hands of an untrained shinobi. The very same went for Gaara - and when people saw the kanji carved upon his forehead, the very symbol meaning <em>'love'_, they realised that he now fully understood the burden of being a jinchuuriki. Of being a monster. Hate was a stigma upon his childish soul. Death followed him, always close, always stalking._

_Barely a week out from his uncle's betrayal, Baki - under orders from the Fourth Kazekage - took Gaara to one of Sunagakure's gates, explaining nothing, and although this bothered Gaara, he was still young enough to feel curiosity. With a handful of other sand shinobi, he and Baki waited, staring out over the rolling dunes of the desert, until a grey smudge on the pale horizon alerted the guards around the village: they had visitors._

_They were from the Land of Iron - Gaara heard them introduce themselves to Baki. There were only five of them, led by a middle-aged woman with coal-coloured hair and a long grey coat embroidered with a peculiar wheel pattern. By this woman's side, holding her hand, was a little girl, no older than Gaara, paler than porcelain and wearing a similar grey coat. She looked weary from travel: black crescents marked her deep green eyes, and her skin was burn by both sun and wind. To protect herself from these, the girl had a hood thrown up over her head, and though its shadows, she attempted to smile at the boy with the 'love' tattoo. He only glowered._

_'Junko, is it?' Baki was asking the woman holding the little girl's hands. She nodded and bowed her head, the wind blowing her grey-streaked hair about her face. Next, Baki knelt down to address the little girl. 'And this is Kazue Isamu's daughter?'_

_'Yes. Kazue Houseki.'_

_The little girl smiled at Baki, too. No gesture was returned, and downtrodden, Kazue Houseki lowered her gaze to the sand at her booted feet. Straightening up, Baki then said to Gaara: 'This girl will be your new friend, Gaara. Say hello.'_

_But his words were drowned out in Gaara's ears beneath a benevolent growl from Shukaku. It was so forceful, in fact, that Gaara winced and held a hand to his head._

Chakra! _Shukaku whispered. _I smell it! So much chakra, swimming in so much blood. This girl...how delicious.

_He was right. Gaara could feel the chakra pulsing from this girl like the sun's heat - as for her being "delicious", he was not quite sure about that. Meanwhile, the Suna shinobi, Baki, Junko, and the other visitors were gazing down at the children. Some of them looked fearful._

_Timidly, Houseki said: 'How do you do?'_

_Gaara remained silent. How dare she even speak to him?_

_'Perhaps now would be a suitable time for us to visit the Kazekage, Baki-sama?' The woman named Junko was saying. 'The sooner we may rest, the better. Houseki in particular...the journey was far too long for a child, I fear.'_

_'Of course. This way. Gaara.'_

_Rather reluctantly, Gaara began to follow Baki and the group of guests to his father's office. As he went, he glanced sideways at Houseki: at the way she clung to Junko, but also the way she surveyed her surroundings with great interest, as if taking in every detail. He wondered if her powers were greater than his; how easy she would be to crush into dust._

_But mostly, through all his thinking, he resented the way Junko held the little girl's hand so tightly._

Kill!

_No. Gaara fought to block out Shukaku's most immediate thoughts._

_For a long while that day, the adults spoke of special jutsu and a foreign word - "mandala" - that Gaara could not quite understand. But soon he came to realise that his name was being spoken quite a bit; when he turned, his father was looking - no, glaring, as he often did - down at Houseki, and that the little girl had the stomach to look him right in the eye._

_'Kazue Houseki. From hereon in, you shall be my son's guardian. You shall watch him, and you shall silence that...monster inside of him. If you cannot do either of these things, you will pay with your life. Believe me when I say that is not my wish.' And at this, the Kazekage turned to stare at his son. 'It is Gaara's.'_

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><p>'I never understood our father's intentions as a child,' Kankuro was saying, now gazing out over Sunagakure as his brother did. The sun had begun to set in a flare of bright oranges and pale reds, and it made it look as though the entire desert burned. 'To bring a foreigner into the village like he did and appoint her such a heavy task.'<p>

'He was only thinking of his village,' Gaara murmured, his words both truthful and bitter. 'Perhaps...I would do the same. That is why we should remain tightly bonded to Konoha - there is no time for fuedes between villages, these days. Not with war haunting so close.'

At this, Kankurou's lip curled. 'War? You believe Baki when he says this?'

'Akatsuki,' Gaara began, and the name tasted like lead on his tongue, 'they are the gears turning the wheel.'

An idea sprung to mind then. It flashed across Gaara's brilliant green eyes like a flicker of light, and he stared intensely over at Kankuro when he next spoke.

'The Akatsuki...Houseki disappeared when fighting, didn't she?'

Kankuro had no idea where this was going. He could only frown deeply. 'Yes. Kakashi-sama said that she went after the blonde Akatsuki man, after realising he'd used a substitution technique to escape.'

'So...' Gaara stepped away from the railing, not looking at anything in particular, face stoic. 'She went after the man she thought had murdered me? Houseki is strong...but so is Akatsuki. And if they know about her _kekkei genkai..._'

Kankuro's frown deepened. 'So. A trap?'

Gaara turned at that, making for the door to exit the rooftop. But Kankuro called after him:

'Gaara! Baki won't allow you to go!'

The Kazekage paused, hand on the handle of the door, wind at his back. He was silent.

'Gaara,' Kankuro's warning was obvious in his tone. 'Don't go running off. Not after a memory.'

Again, Gaara was silent. Without further ado, he left his brother standing on the rooftop.

_Perhaps that memory is the only thing I have left to run after, brother. I owe it to her._

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><p><span>Closing:<span>

Ah, it's done! I am sorry the chapter was kind of long, _but _I am quite busy in my day-to-day life...so I have to make my updates count. Please let me know what you think... :) For chapter two: more tiny Gaara, and my character does a bit of showing off! Onward.


	2. Jewel

Author's note:

I'm leaving these notes until the end, now. Oh, but in case you haven't noticed by now, _italics _indicate either someone thinking, Shukaku "speaking", or flashbacks. Enjoy chapter two~

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><p><strong>So Close<strong>

Chapter 2:

Jewel

_Not all of the visitors from the Iron Country would stay: the very next day after they arrived, three of them left, leaving the woman named Junko and the little girl, Houseki, behind in Sunagakure. Six-year-old Gaara watched them go at dawn from his bedroom window, the three men shrouded in their grey coats and heaving their supplies behind them. Junko saw them off, before wandering back inside out of the cold blue morning, that little girl in tow._

_Gaara did not recall the adults' conversation yesterday afternoon: his young mind was still grappling with the fact that he and this little girl were meant to be _friends _from now on._ _He remembered only fragments of his father's conversation with the Iron woman: a mention of a clan's special kekkei genkai, the elements, and the role that Houseki would play in his life._

_"Guardian", his father had said. So, did that mean that this Houseki girl would be something like Yashamaru?_

A liar, _Gaara thought to himself, head falling back into his pillow. But he did not sleep._

_Somewhere in the same vicinity, a weary-looking Junko closed the door to her temporary accommodation in Suna. She was a determined and strong-spirited woman - the very type that her clan's head had declared to be a perfect representative of his people. _

_Those people were the Kazue Clan. They were not all related by blood - rather, they were a group of nomadic ninja whom wholly answered to one Kazue Isamu, and as such took up a spiritual bond, calling themselves by familiar titles whenever they were together. Though Iron Country was ruled mostly by a samurai military, the Kazue were respected for remaining loyal to Mifune, the country's general, at all times._

_The journey from Iron Country had been a haphazard one. Completed almost on foot, and with a small child amongst them, Junko and her fellow Kazue had endured the harsh elements, several run-in's with thieves and no-gooders, and almost every other obstacle that could possibly block their path. All the while, Junko had taught Houseki of their clan's techniques, and every day they had made the effort to practice and train._

_Houseki would need it, Junko surmised. She had heard nothing but bad things about the little boy Houseki was destined to guard. Some said he was a natural born killer._

_Still exhausted from her journey, Junko fell into bed and gave a deep sigh, but did not sleep just yet. Instead she rolled her head on her pillow, looking at the tiny little six-year-old in the bed across from her._

_Kazue Houseki. Second child of Kazue Isamu, lord of the Isamu clan. Born with such a great amount of chakra in her veins that, upon her first cry at birth, a blizzard blew up that forced her people into the shelter of the mountains. At the time, Isamu had been forced to cut open his own daughter's chest and engrave onto her manubrium a seal that would stop Houseki from becoming too dangerous a person. Afterwards, he had exclaimed that she was a shining jewel to her people, and thus had named her Houseki, meaning _jewel.

_'It is a shame,' Junko whispered to Houseki's sleeping form, 'that he loved you so...but you may never see him again.'_

_At this, she closed her eyes and finally slept._

* * *

><p><em>The following day, Junko and Houseki were shown about Suna by a reasonably friendly shinobi, later to be joined by Baki, who had been instructed by the Fourth Kazekage to look after the visitors until they were settled in. Gaara watched them all from a distance; watched Baki hand over clothing more suitable for the desert region, for Junko and Houseki were still dressed in their heavy Iron Country gear; listened to him declare that their allegiance now lay with Suna, and that Houseki would undertake training with Suna shinobi in order to assure that she had a wide range of techniques available in order to have her protect Gaara most efficiently.<em>

_Gaara did not realise, but Baki was already beginning to erase Houseki's past, in the same way that the ocean gradually pulls at the shore and changes it shape over time._

_But Houseki was never aware. She found Suna too hot and too clustered - she was used to the wide mountain ranges and snowy prairies of her home country - and everything was far too foreign. Everything but the little boy with the brick-red hair that had been following them all morning._

_'Junko,' she started, tugging on the long sleeve of Junko's coat. 'Can I go to him?'_

_The adults fell silent. Baki's lips were pursed. Junko's eyes were slightly concerned. Nonetheless, she nodded._

_With a grin, Houseki turned and hurried toward the stones clustered about the training grounds. There, she spied the boy with the 'love' tattoo, but before she could say a word to him, he disappeared in a whirl of sand._

_Baki sniggered. 'She will have to be a lot faster than that.'_

_'Houseki is very fast,' Junko assured him. 'She is also very talented.'_

_'Her abilities,' Baki began, watching as Houseki began to skirt between the rocks in search of Gaara, 'tell me about them.'_

_Said the woman, Junko: 'Our clan is in possession of a unique jutsu...and Houseki has the greatest ability out of all of us to use it, though she is too young to understand that now. I will remain in Suna with her for as long as it takes for her to develop her jutsu.'_

_'This ability,' Baki cut in over her. 'What is it, exactly? It sounds too far fetched to be true.'_

_Junko held him with a tense gaze. 'Our clan teaches the use of the _shiki-sharinjutsu_: the "Void Wheel Technique". We like to call them "mandala", too. Years of training can see a clan member drawing these mandalas to summon all five elements -'_

_'Ridiculous.' Baki almost spat._

_'I am not finished,' Junko shot back. 'It also allows for Houseki - and so far, only Houseki - to access the yin-yang chakra type. Among our people, we simply call it the Shiki, the spirit. The chakra type we believe to be linked to genjutsu abilities.'_

_Baki remained silent, awaiting more._

'_The Shiki is strange, even to us. Houseki is attuned differently to it, however...she can use it not unlike space-time ninjutsu, where the user interrupts the space-time continuum to move things into a dimensional void. Put simply, Houseki can move her entire chakra network out of her body into this warped time, therefore leaving her body and being able to communicate on the same level as the tailed demons...or places that humans cannot possibly exist.'_

_At this incredible announcement, Baki was silent. Over by the rocks, Houseki turned, looking curious._

_'Impossible,' murmured Baki finally. 'That would kill her.'_

_'Not so,' the shinobi accompanying Baki spoke up suddenly. 'The Yamanaka clan of Konohagakure can force their minds out of their bodies...it sounds like this girl can do something similar.'_

_Junko smiled at the disbelief on the face of Baki, which only intensified when she added: 'Soon, we believe Houseki will be able to take her body with her.'_

_'Dimension-stepping?' Baki gaped. Junko nodded._

_'Junko-san!' Houseki called, running over to her nurse. 'The little boy's gone!'_

_Junko laughed, patting Houseki on the top of her head. She was a rather cute child, her hair a mousy-brown and eyes the colour of uncut emeralds: not quite as bright, but just as deep. Her skin was pale due to a life lived in the snow, and her build was quite small - perfect for her planned weapon._

_At this, Junko smiled and turned Houseki to face Baki._

_'Perhaps you would like to see Houseki fight now, Baki-san?'_

_'I would never hit a child, Junko-san,' he chuckled in return. Rolling her eyes, Junko strode away, putting some distance between herself and Houseki._

_'Houseki,' Junko called to her, drawing a black-sheathed katana from her side. A famous weapon of the Iron Country samurai. 'Show them what your brother taught you.'_

_Nodding, Houseki closed her dark eyes, clasped her hands together, fingers spread, and in a single sharp movement rotated her right hand downward. With a thunderous _boom! _a seal appeared beneath Houseki's feet, a seal that began to spin so quickly that it soon became a blur. _

_Baki blinked. In the next second, Houseki stood within a circular blade - more of a steel hoop, really - one so large that she could comfortably hold out her arms and grasp it in her tiny hands. He could not see very well, but it looked as though there were grooves for her hands to hold onto._

_'What is that?' Baki exclaimed, but no one answered. Gaara, hiding amongst the outer boulders, frowned._

_With that, Junko and Houseki sprung at one another - or, rather, Houseki leapt up into the air, at such a height that Baki was forced to crane his neck. For an instant, he saw the way the little girl had drawn herself into her ring-like weapon. Then, with a great battle cry, she descended with the speed of a hawk toward Junko, wherein the kunoichi leapt aside to dodge._

_With all the subtlety of a charging warrior, Houseki slammed into the ground just an inch away from where Junko had once been, ring-blade embedded in the sand. Houseki, using the support of her ring for momentum, swung herself outward and struck Junko with a forceful chakra-fuelled kick to the gut._

_Junko gasped and was sent flying, the sand roaring up around her._

_Baki paled. Gaara gritted his teeth, attempting to hide his amazement. Meanwhile, Houseki pulled her ring-blade from the ground. So full of chakra was this little girl that her strikes did as much damage as a grown man._

_Then, Junko's body shattered into a thousand pieces of glass. The real Junko reappeared behind her student._

_'Substitution,' Houseki said, smiling. She then stabbed her blade into the ground, clasped her hands together, and cried: 'Secret Void Technique: Fire Mandala!'_

_A second thunder-like clap sounded. Now, Houseki stood at the heart of a seal, which flamed at her feet and lit up her face. Gripping her ring-blade again, she cried "Secret Void Technique: Grand Fire Wheel!"_

_Baki gaped. Houseki's ring-blade was on fire, and with a second cry, she flung it at Junko, who held her katana up to parry; all the while, a huge wheel of fire raged toward her, scorching the sand beneath it black._

No way, _Gaara thought to himself, watching as the roaring wheel raced toward Junko._

She is strong, _Shukaku agreed, as Houseki and Junko's weapons clashed and the sky was lit by a plume of flame. _So very strong. In time, I believe she could even beat you, Gaara.

'Never,' _whispered Gaara to himself._ 'I will never let anyone beat me again. Ever.'

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><p><span>Closing:<span>

Wow, I'm sorry that was so long. So I won't ramble. All I'll say is that Houseki is nowhere near all-powerful as my explanation may lead people to believe; that her abilities will reveal themselves in time. And don't worry. WAY more canon characters on their way...including those "lovely" Akatsuki boys. Bear with me - and review, if you kindly care to :)


	3. That Which Is Precious

Author's note:

So, this will probably be the final update on this story for a while, as I work on something else and move over to to work on my original pieces (unless there is a sudden influx of reviews and favourites, well, then I'll see...); that said, thank you for the favourites and watches so far. Currently they outnumber the reviews (no biggie), so I give you,

* * *

><p><strong>So Close<strong>

Chapter 3:

That Which Is Precious

_The smoke and rolling clouds of ash gradually dissipated over the Suna training ground, revealing an exhausted-looking Junko lying in the sand, coat singed, breath heaving. But a dozen feet away stood her student, Houseki, apparently quite out of breath herself. From his hiding place, Gaara could practically _see _the chakra radiating off this girl: in fact, the veins about her eyes glowed the faintest of azures, but as she dismissed her weapon and the flaming mandala at her feet disappeared, the light vanished from her eyes and she became as tired as her carer._

_'Such chakra,' Baki was saying to the shinobi accompanying him. 'This is unbelievable.'_

_'The Kazekage chose well,' the young boy commented, nodding._

Exactly, _Gaara said to himself, to Shukaku. _He chose. I didn't. I never said I wanted a friend! Not after...

_He recalled those words, spoken by his uncle, too well. "Please die."_

No! _Gaara was gripping his bright red hair now. _No. I won't have anyone betray me like that ever again!

_And he sent a gush of sand at Houseki._

_The Iron girl gasped and leapt back, putting herself but a hair's breadth out of range. She fell awkwardly, tumbling onto her back, and turned her head in time to see the little boy with the 'love' tattoo walking slowly out onto the training ground. Face now calm, but somehow sadistic, Gaara raised his hand, and the sand beneath Houseki quaked._

_Quickly did Houseki make her simple hand seal and cry "Secret Void Technique: Earth Mandala!". _

_Another seal appeared beneath her, this one the brightest of greens and decorated with images of leaves and leaping deer. The earth mandala, channelling earth chakra. With that, Houseki added, "Stone Shield!", moments before the second sand wave could strike her. A a wall of pure stone then erupted out of the sand but a foot away from her, and Gaara's sand struck it like ocean waves over a sea wall._

_Some way away, Gaara flinched, but not noticeably. Even in his younger years, he had rarely shown surprise on his face during battle: it may give something away, reveal to his enemy his techniques during combat._

_Meanwhile, Baki and Junko watched on with still, focused eyes. This was Houseki's ultimate test. If Houseki was to protect Gaara in the future, she had to at least match his skills in all areas of jutsu; in order to pull Shukaku back in the future, she would need to be stronger than its host. Just._

_By the time Houseki's stone wall had crumbled, she had re-called her circular blade and stood at its centre again, face flushed in the effort of switching between chakra types and creating hand seals so swiftly. Gaara was unmoving, and yet sand was beginning to coil from the gourde strapped over his back. A harsh wind blew across the training ground._

_'Hah...take this!' _

_Houseki threw her blade with all of her chakra-embedded strength, and it flashed through the air in the manner of a buzz-saw. Gaara watched in satisfaction as his Shield of Sand thundered up about him in the next instant, and Houseki's blade embedded itself in the shield. The little girl gaped._

_Gaara remained silent. A great hand had drawn itself up from his sand - Shukaku's hand, no doubt - and with very little effort it threw the ring-blade back at Houseki with double the speed and strength. In return, Houseki was only just able to bring up her stone shield, and a curtain of sparks fell over her shoulders as her ring-blade, still spinning as it struck the stone, carved itself a few inches into her shield before falling back to the sand, smoking._

_She was fast, Gaara could give her that much. But he could already see an opening in Houseki's jutsu: she could __not see through the stone wall in front of her. She could only guess what he was about to do - especially since she did not know his arsenal of attacks just yet._

All the better to crush her with, _Shukaku sniggered. Gaara nodded in agreement, before raising his hand a second time and sending a gush of sand from his gourd. _

_Houseki heard it coming. Gripping her ring-blade tightly, she leapt up into the air as the sand poured in around either side of her wall, which she landed upon with the grace of a heron, her weapon hanging around her shoulders like some bizarre, death-bringing wheel. So far, Gaara had seen her use earth and fire - but according to Junko, she could also control wind, water and lightening. She was still quite dangerous._

Then don't allow her to live! _Shukaku snarled. _Kill!

_Gaara's sand rushed up toward Houseki, and she jumped._

_But not high enough. Not fast enough._

_The sand snagged her ankle, dragging her back down into a pit of sand. Houseki went down with a brief scream, but soon could say no more._

_'Sand Binding Coffin.'_

_Baki heard those words, and choked on his own. Junko gave a cry of fright._

_'Gaara, don't -!'_

_Houseki, buried in the sand, looked terrified, eyes wider than the face of a full moon. Chakra was filling her veins again, illuminating her eyes and the deep fear within them. Grimacing, Gaara slowly began to clench his hand closed, and Houseki wailed in pain as the sand began to press in around her. Something cracked louder than a whip. One of Houseki's bones had broken._

_Gaara smiled. Triumph. His father's puppet would die now._

_'Sand Waterfall Fu -'_

_But he stopped. He froze. Houseki was already limp, and the light in her veins had died. But she was not dead, not yet - Gaara had made sure to close the sand in about her slowly at first, and then crush her in a single explosion of sand. Still, it was as though she was not _there...

_Suddenly -_

Please, don't! _A girl's voice in his head. Gaara's mouth began to fall open in horror_.

_Shukaku boomed: _What is this! This...this - is - MY - host!

Let me go! _Houseki's voice was as apparant as the wringing of a bell on Gaara's head. _Please! I'll go back to my own village, I'll let you be! Please don't kill me!

_'What...what's happening!' Gaara cried, finally finding his voice and gripping his head once more. 'Get...get out of my head!'_

_Out of the corner of his eye, Gaara swore he saw a flash of blue light, similar to the chakra that had glowed within Houseki. Did that mean..._

_Then he remembered that woman's words: _"_The Shiki is strange, even to us. Houseki is attuned differently to it, however...she can use it not unlike space-time ninjutsu, where the user interrupts the space-time continuum to move things into a dimensional void. Put simply, Houseki can move her entire chakra network out of her body into this warped time, therefore leaving her body and being able to communicate on the same level as the tailed demons...or places that humans cannot possibly exist."_

She left her body! _Gaara had begun to shake so violently that he fell to his knees. _She's inside my head?

Let me go, _Houseki pleaded with him. _I'm not inside your head...I'm on that tanuki's level of existence. He sees through your eyes from a different place. Like a mind space. Now let me go!

_And he did. The sand suddenly gushed away from Houseki, and the light returned to her veins; Houseki took a lungful of air and sat upright with Gaara's sand still tangled in her hair, sweat covering her face. Then, quite abruptly, the voices in Gaara's head vanished, and Houseki collapsed in a heap once more._

_Gaara would never forget Baki's expression that afternoon. More importantly, he would never forget his first draw with an opponent._

* * *

><p>Sabaku no Gaara sat before the Sunagakure council, waiting as the various members took their seats; mostly, wizened old men who were as stubborn as Gaara remembered them from his childhood. Baki sat close by, but was not saying anything, save for a grunt of a greeting when a council member entered the room. When the last one had arrived, he got up and shut the door rather loudly. Gaara knew what Baki was thinking.<p>

Formal greetings were passed back and forth. Finally, it was Gaara's turn to address the council without interruption.

'I have called this meeting today because one of this village's most respected nin has gone missing,' he announced, and when none attempted a word in response, he continued. 'My guardian, Kazue Houseki, disappeared while fighting Akatsuki. I have reason to believe that she went after one of their members during the invasion, to which I myself fell victim.'

Said one man, 'Houseki-chan? But she has deserted us, Kazekage-sama.'

Another added, 'If she could not protect you from Akatsuki, then she failed in her job. Even if she returns to the village with one of their heads on a stick, it matters not: you still died, Kazekage-sama. If it were not for the honourable Chiyo-baasama's ressurection technique, you would still _be _dead. How can that be forgiven?'

'I seem to recall,' Gaara began steadily, 'that Houseki was stood down. _I _told her to stand down.'

It was true. Houseki had run to the nearest rooftop, armed and ready to fight, upon spying the clay bird and its passenger battling Gaara in the skies. Houseki may have been trained to be able to lock blades with a jinchuuriki, defeat it even, but could she defeat the men who could so easily beat the tailed-beasts?

_'Houseki, stand back. I will not have him harm anyone else here.'_

_'But, Kazekage-sama -'_

_'Do as I say. Stand back.'_

Gaara winced at the recollection of his harsh words. Were they the last think Houseki had ever heard from him?

It took Gaara a few moments to realise that Baki was addressing him, arms folded, voice tight: 'Kazekage-sama...you may have told Houseki-san to stay back, but she was told from a young age...she was to die protecting the jinchuuriki she was assigned to. She was also told -' and at this, Baki's eyes fixed on Gaara, and their stare became cold and accusing, '- not to form any sort of bond with you. There was meant to be a wall between you two, always.'

Gaara half-smiled. 'Perhaps we found a way to scale that wall in time, Baki-sempai.'

Baki's nose scrunged up at this, and his forehead was cut by a deep frown.

'All the same,' his words were short, and quite sharp, 'after her failure to even _defend _you from Akatsuki, Houseki-san has failed her task. We at the council consider her an outcast of Sunagakure. And, since she defected from her clan in the Iron Country when she became your "guardian", she cannot return there, either.'

A soft comment was then mumbled from somewhere on the other side of the table: 'Perhaps it is better that she is defeated by the Akatsuki, and her honour remains in tact.'

A familiar surge of anger and hate struck Gaara at that moment. He felt his entire body twitch. His fingers gripped the arm of his chair far too tightly. A few council members began to look nervous.

'So...she is just a scapegoat, then?' Gaara uttered, more so to himself than Baki and the others. A few of the particularly frail men leant forward so that they may hear him better. 'You plan to blame Akatsuki's attack - moreover, my failure to defend Suna - on Houseki's failure to act on my behalf? You plan to forget the fact that she stood by my side for ten years, never making a mistake, reigning in Shukaku more than once...?'

'Not forget,' Baki stated. 'No. Rather, start anew from here. Temari and Kankuro as your sole bodyguards. No more foreign jutsu to cloud our judgements. You will return to being Kazekage, and part of the renowned Sand Siblings.'

Still, Gaara's fingers gripped the arms of his chair. Still, his heart beat in a flurry.

How senile _were_ these men?

Baki went on: 'Well, if there is nothing more to discuss here...'

'There isn't,' snapped Gaara, and he stood in a hurry. 'This meeting is over.'

* * *

><p>Later that night, there came a knock upon the door to Gaara's room. When he did not answer, Kankuro sighed deeply and decided to speak through the door.<p>

'Baki spoke to me earlier, Gaara. Said you got all irate at the meeting this afternoon...what happened?'

No response.

'Gaara?' Kankuro pressed, taking a hold of the door handle. 'You _are_ here, right?'

Entering his sibling's room, Kankuro found Gaara crouched over a small bag at the end of his bed, brow furrowed, the expression on his face suggesting that his thoughts were elsewhere. Baffled, Kankuro shut the door behind him loud enough to make Gaara look up.

'Gaara,' started Kankuro as his eyes wandered to the bag at Gaara's feet. 'What're you doing?'

Gaara said nothing; only continued to pack a handful of things into the bag, mostly food and medical supplies. Kankuro's draw dropped slightly.

'You're _leaving? Now?'_

'I will be back,' Gaara stated a-matter-of-factly. 'It's just...that I have something to do.'

'You're serious?' Kankuro asked quietly. 'But...you're the Kazekage! You can't just leave!'

'If I do not find her in three days,' Gaara stood and slung the bag over his shoulder, so that it would hang to one side of his body beneath the gourd on his back, 'then I probably won't find her at all. Most likely, Akatsuki already have her.'

'Gaara -'

'Kankuro. Listen.' With that, Gaara silenced his brother in an instant. He went on. 'All my life, I have been a tool for others; for Shukaku, for my father, for my village. Most likely, when this war breaks out, I will be a tool for the shinobi forces as well. Never have I done something purely because it is what _I _wish to do. Yes, I wanted to protect Sunagakure as Kazekage...but there was never anything that was mine.'

Still Kankuro argued. 'Sunagakure is yours.'

'I do not consider it mine. I protect it, but I do not hoard it away for myself.' Sighing, Gaara rose to his feet and reached out to pick up his sand-filled gourd from the ground. 'I...want to protect that which is precious to me.'

Kankuro almost laughed, yet managed to suppress even a smile. He had never seen Gaara in this way before; and he had certainly never called anyone "special". He may have acted on selfish whims before, yes, but mostly they concerned his training as a shinobi. Never people.

Defeated, Kankuro sighed heavily and crossed his arms. 'Fine. But if you go, leave behind something that I can track you by...something only I would know. I don't want Akatsuki to capture you a second time.'

* * *

><p>Somewhere, upon the back of a clay bird, a black-coated Akatsuki member flew silently through the black veil of the night. He flew with surprising urgency however, and upon closer inspection of the forest below him, it was clear that he was attempting to escape something.<p>

That "something" revealed herself to be a kunoichi, who at that moment leapt from the highest branch she could reach and threw a spinning wheel of fire into the air, one that the clay bird narrowly missed; the wheel roared on by Deidara's ear before it arched back around to its wielder. Clad in the shadows, she caught the flaming wheel in one raised hand, and at once the flames died and she disappeared back into the sea of leaves below.

_I can either kill her or lead her back to our hideout. Well... _Deidara brought his bird to a stop, and it hovered in the air above the spot where the kunoichi from Suna had disappeared.

'Come out, you little bitch!' Deidara shouted out to the night. 'Come and avenge your master's death!'

* * *

><p><span>Closing:<span>

First off, I'm really not sure about Gaara addressing Baki as "sempai". But whatever. Secondly, I'm taking a short break from this story (right before the good stuff happens, as you do)...I'm finding it quite difficult to write. Also, excuse the many typos that you spotted...I was too lazy to go back and fix them. Please leave your thoughts though, should you have any. Thanks again for the favourites, alerts and watches so far :)


	4. A Weapon For Great Men

Author's note:

OKAY so I've had over **a hundred hits** on this story but **no **reviews...what to do, apart from keep on going? And resort to putting pairings in the summary. I surrender...this is my last update unless I get a crapload of reviews/story alerts/favourites/cake.

* * *

><p><strong>So Close<strong>

Chapter 4:

A Weapon For Great Men

'Come out, you little bitch! Come and avenge your master's death!'

For a moment, the night sky was quiet, and the ocean of leaves beneath Deidara remained undisturbed. But then she appeared: a kunoichi, perhaps the same age as Deidara, her hair the colour of desert sand and kept short and messy behind the nape of her neck. Her bangs, however, fell down to cling to her sweating face, set with deep green eyes and, currently, gritted teeth. She was a small girl, draped in a long-sleeved black kimono that hung off her shoulders, and fastened around her middle by a grey flack-jacket fitted with two belts. Though the kimono was short, she made up for this by wearing fishnet tights and long black socks with heavy-duty boots.

_Not your typical Sunagakure kunoichi_, Deidara mused. _She has some attitude_. He then glanced at the metal wheel the girl carried: it looked like an acrobat's prop, albeit a dangerous one. _And what is that?_

'How long do you plan on following me, un?' Deidara called down to the girl. The mechanical attachment to his left eye then zoomed in on something: prayer beads hung from the belts of her flack-jacket, and amongst these beads hung a metal tag, stamped with the kanji for 'love'.

Where had he seen _that _before?

'Ah...so you're that jinchuuriki's guardian?' scoffed Deidara. 'Aren't I lucky...I get to kill you, too.'

Kazue Houseki stood tall at the topmost branch of the tree below. She carried her weapon much like her master's sister, Temari.

'You can try,' she replied, in a smooth yet bold tone, 'However, both your arms are gone - not very good for making hand-seals. Or clay, if you had any.'

Deidara scowled at that. He knew nothing of this girl, and if she happened to have any lightning-based jutsu, then he would be in trouble.

And so he settled for further tormenting. 'What's the point of chasing me, un? You're master's already dead and in the ground! You should go back and mourn him, un!'

'I will when_ you're_ dead!'

She sprung at him, ring-blade at the ready, but Deidara was prepared: his clay vessel had begun to mould several bird-shaped bombs, and as Houseki grew close, it spat them at her. But Houseki assumed it was a bluff: unable to make his hand-seals without his hands, she simply sliced the birds in two and landed on the head of the larger one that Deidara flew.

Without hesitation, she threw her ring-blade out into the open air and engaged in hand-to-hand combat. She was a match for Deidara in her technique, but when it came down to it, he was more experienced: he struck her across the calves with a low sweep of his leg, and Houseki stumbled to teeter at the edge of the bird. He was surprised she could even attack, the sleeves of her kimono were so long.

Suddenly, Deidara heard something whistling behind his head. Purely due to reflexes, he ducked, and Houseki's ring-blade shot over his head and back into its wielder's hands.

_Shit...that was close_, Deidara cursed. _At this rate, I can't beat her, I can only lead her on. Come on, where are _you, _un?_

Houseki let fly with another kick. Deidara ducked. Using this to her advantage, Houseki brought that same leg swinging back and, with no way to defend himself, kicked Deidara hard in the side with a chakra-filled blow.

The result was anything but what Deidara expected. Not only did the kick shove him from his clay bird vessel, it sent him down through the treetops to slam into the dirt far below. Combined with the pain from his missing, bleeding arms, removed by the jinchuuriki Gaara and Kakashi respectively, he actually cried out in agony as Houseki landed with the fleet-footed nature of a fox a yard or so away.

'You...you little...' Deidara gagged, spitting up blood. Then he saw the cloaked figure behind Houseki, and grinned.

With a gasp she spun, having not noticed him, but was suddenly trapped in a genjutsu that she had simply not predicted: she was standing in the same forest clearing, and an old scar over her heart had suddenly burst open. Now, blood poured down her kimono and legs, leaving a thick pool on the leaves at her feet, and she went down clutching the scar, screaming, bleeding to death.

Uchiha Itachi moved quickly, striking the pressure points about Houseki's neck to make her go limp. She ceased her screaming under the effects of the genjutsu and dropped, seemingly dead, to the ground.

'Itachi-san!' Deidara spat more blood as his anger rose. 'Took your time, un!'

The Uchiha simply surveyed him calmly, nudging Houseki with his toe.

'So...the Kazekage's bodyguard?' He asked, sounding unimpressed. 'We have orders. Our leader wishes to see her for himself.'

'Why?' Deidara growled, struggling to his feet without the aid of his arms. 'Just let me wring her neck first, un!'

'With what hands?' Itachi shot back levelly. 'Speaking of which...what happened?'

Deidara explained as they walked, Itachi hauling Houseki over one shoulder. Once he was done recounting his capture of Sunagakure's Kazekage (with excessively flamboyant details regarding how he defeated Gaara of the Desert), he once more turned a glaring eye to Houseki.

'What's the leader got planned for _her_, un?'

'Most likely...she'll wish you'd killed her after all.'

* * *

><p><em>After Gaara's first attempt to kill her, Houseki changed drastically - Baki, at the least, noticed an immediate change. A week out from her confrontation, he took over from her companion Junko and became her teacher, training her alongside the Kazekage's other children, Temari and Kankuro. Whenever Gaara decided to actually attend these training sessions (no amount of nagging on Baki's behalf could make him), Houseki would stay as far away from him as possible, sheltering behind Kankuro simply because he had a bigger build than his little brother.<em>

_Outside of Baki's training sessions, Houseki worked herself to the near bone: she practiced her mandalas almost obsessively, and undertook a gruelling physical regime that had her running laps back and forth across the desert every morning. As she grew, and came to further understand what her unique weapon meant for her, she also took up a diet that made her nurse cringe, so that she may always be light and small and be able to perform aerial acrobatics with ease._

_Six months after arriving in Suna, she was changed. She was older. She was growing cold. But still, her new life in Suna did not cease in becoming more and more difficult._

_One evening, the Kazekage's complex was attacked by three assassins - ninja from the Hidden Village of Sound, a threat from a man that called himself Orochimaru. Suna shinobi were quick to track them down, with Baki killing two after a long battle, whilst the Iron Country woman named Junko, Houseki's nurse, went after the third. Unlike Baki, she did not succeed in her task._

_She died the following day in Suna's hospital due to massive internal bleeding and haemorrhaging in the brain, caused by one of the intruders' sound barriers. _

_Houseki was at her side to hear Junko's last breath._

* * *

><p><em>After the death of the woman from Iron Country, Gaara found himself somewhat drawn to the little Iron girl, Houseki. He made a habit of watching her training from a distance - watching her cry and bleed and sweat, summoning and dismissing her mandala at such a rate that he was surprised she did not run dry on chakra. He sensed an air of solidarity about this girl similar to the one he carried in his shadow, and when she cried, he mused at the way her eyes seemed to grow the brightest of greens against the red of her face...that, too, reminded Gaara of himself, of the tears that had been shed at the death of his uncle, Yashamaru.<em>

_Perhaps this was the only reason that he never attempted to kill her again. Over the next year, some dare say that Gaara began to tolerate the little foreign girl. She would let him sit in on her personal training sessions, and he allowed her to do the same. In a year a half, Shukaku's constant murmur to have the girl killed began to fade. Baki also noticed that Houseki hovered behind Gaara during his training days; she did not hide from him. It was like watching a dog attach itself to a master, and though the master did not ask it to do this, it still followed him wherever he went. Kankuro sniggered every so often and nicknamed Houseki "inuko-chan", meaning "puppy."_

_When Gaara graduated from his village's academy at twelve years old, Houseki carved him a small kunai pendant out of crystal that she claimed (in a letter; she rarely spoke face-to-face with Gaara) she had found in the wall surrounding Suna. According to her clan, gifts that could be worn in the form of jewellery granted good luck upon the wearer. Though she never saw Gaara wear it, for Houseki's twelfth birthday, he presented her with a similar gift: a string of prayer beads made from hardened sand, set with a silver tag with the kanji for 'love' etched into it in a child's handwriting._

_And so it was that, Gaara having mutually accepted Houseki, the Kazekage announced that he had formed "a very exciting test" for her - for, as a foreigner, Houseki was not allowed to sit exams within Suna. 'This test,' Gaara's father had explained, 'is the equivalent of your academy graduation.'_

_It would be Houseki's first one-on-one fight with Shukaku, she later discovered; a test of her own strength, of "dimension-stepping" ninjutsu, and her loyalty to the boy she was bound to forever protect._

_It was on that day that Baki also gave her a clear warning._

_'You are only young now, Houseki-chan, but never forget: you are Gaara's protector, his shield, the one who will pull back on Shukaku's leash should he ever escape. You must have a clear mind when you do these things, so that you do not make a single mistake that leads to the death of the Kazekage's son. And your mind cannot be clear when it is filled with emotion. So...do not ever attach yourself to Gaara emotionally, Houseki. Never claim to care for him more than anyone else.'_

* * *

><p>Some time after leaving Sunagakure, Gaara found himself standing in the open meadow where Chiyo-baasama had revived him only days ago. The place still reminded him of emptiness, of desolation, and the voice of a familiar hyperactive Konoha shinobi calling for him: it had been like being pulled from an empty well, from a place that had once been inhabited by the snarling spirit of a tanuki.<p>

Gaara did not miss Shukaku...at least, he did not think he did. In truth, the beast was something that he had simply become accomodated to, like ones' own shadow, or the sun shining down on his face almost every day of his life. Shortly before Shukaku's removal from him, Gaara believed that he had been able to control the tailed-beast somewhat, although he could not say that this was due solely to his efforts: Houseki had assisted him, using her _Secret Void Technique: Shadow Dimension Ghost Step_ to leave her body and speak to Shukaku on the same mindscape as the chakra monster.

This, Gaara had come to see, was why the Akatsuki found her interesting. Doubtless, as they went about capturing tailed-beasts across the land, they could use Houseki to speak to the beasts and possibly change the tide of battle, or force them to reveal themselves in a way that made them easier to capture and seal away. It would also be difficult for the jinchuuriki to defeat Houseki: she had perfected her Dimension Step remarkably over the years, and recently had announced that she had been able to (briefly) move her body using a combination of the jutsu and the manipulation of the space-time continuum.

The idea still rattled Gaara's brains slightly.

Quite abruptly, Gaara's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of movement on the nearby forest fringe. Instantly he whirled around, the sand in his gourd awakening, and he demanded in a level voice: 'Whose's there?'

Surprisingly, the shinobi lingering in the forest did not attack: instead, he came forward with his palms raised to show that he was unarmed. Still, Gaara did not relax the control on his sand.

'Who are you?' He demanded of the newcomer. 'Why do you follow me?'

The shinobi was strangely familiar, even to someone as socially introverted as Gaara. He was at least a good head taller than the young Kazekage as well, with spiked blonde hair shaved at the sides and very dark, near black eyes. His outfit and weapon clearly identified his country of origin, as well: he wore, beneath a long grey coat, an open martial arts _gi_, with long black _hakama_ pants and quite high, clog-like shoes, which looked as though they could take some used to fighting in. As for his weapon, it was attached to a metal rigging on the shinobi's back, and resembled a large, steel ring with a sharp edge.

At this, Gaara's eyed widened a little. A ring-blade.

'You...' Gaara suddenly realised why this shinobi looked familiar.

* * *

><p>Amegakure. The Village Hidden in the Rain.<p>

From somewhere atop a high tower, Pain of the Akatsuki stared out over his industrial city, hidden under a curtain of rain that, quite unknowingly to the village's inhabitants, allowed his to sense foreign chakra, and thus know when an intruder had made his way in through the gates.

Currently, Pain was feeling an incredible surge of chakra close by. Its mere presence made him ill.

It came from the young kunoichi currently kneeling a few feet from him, bound at the wrists by chakra chains that she could not possibly break. Nearby, Deidara stood in wait of appraisal from his enigmatic leader; in the meantime, Kakuzu had appeared to sew Deidara's arms back together, whilst Itachi hovered at Pain's left shoulder, Konan at his right.

'This is the girl,' Pain was saying, 'that can speak to the beasts within the jinchuuriki?'

'A useful talent, to be sure,' Deidara sung out, obviously proud of himself. He had to make up for the shame of having Kakuzu stitch his arms back on.

Pain stared down at Houseki, who could not bring herself to look up at him in return. Her body ached from having been struck by Deidara several times out of frustration before her meeting with the Akatsuki leader. As he stood over her, Pain noticed the scar that vertically traversed the left side of her chest and disappeared down into the collar of her kimono, suggesting that she had undergone some sort of surgery on her heart.

'This ability you have,' Pain began, 'tell me. It will be of great use to me, and the Akatsuki...'

'No.' She could not tell. To do so would put far too many lives at risk, including that of the only other jinchuuriki she knew, Uzumaki Naruto.

'Then...' Pain turned now to Deidara, whose arms were now reattached, the tongues in his hands flickering about as he regained use of them. 'Deidara. I'm sure you have a score to settle with this girl...you came so close to losing to her, after all.'

Deidara grinned. Rarely had any of the Akatsuki ever seen him look manic. Itachi had only ever seen Deidara this livid when he had defeated him with his Sharingan, therefore recruiting the terrorist bomber into Akatsuki against his will. Deidara was actually cracking his knuckles.

'Happy to, un.'

From thereon in, the Akatsuki headquarters were filled with the sound of a young girl's horrific screams.

* * *

><p><span>Closing:<span>

Yep, so...the usual. Please review, favourites are looked upon kindly, and thank you for taking the time to read this story (if you've made it this far, I commend you). Also, check out my other story, _How To Kill The King_, for more Akatsuki madness.


	5. Sever

Author's note:

I don't really know why I'm still writing this... Maybe it was the 100+ hits I got in one day? Plus all the story alerts, favourite author alerts, e.t.c. But please, please, let me know what you think :) Does Houseki fit in, is Gaara in character, and what not...

I must be doing something right in this story, anyway. So, here goes chapter five...which is quite long, admittedly. Means I don't have to have heaps of little chapters :)

* * *

><p><strong>So Close<strong>

Chapter 5:

Sever

Houseki lay on the cold metal floor, unmoving, not daring to breathe in case her lungs expanded too much beneath her ribcage and cracked the fragile bones there. Every inch of her body shook, and she wanted to be sick from the immense pain, but she could do nothing.

'Deidara...enough for now.'

With a satisfied 'humph!', Deidara stood back and wiped blood from his knuckles, a smile permanently placed upon his lips for the time being. In the shadows of the large, empty room, Kakuzu watched on with some level of amusement, whilst Konan had paled and resorted to gazing out the window some time ago. Itachi had left, stating that he had "better things to do", whilst Pain had watched the entire ordeal without blinking.

_Why did she not defend herself? _Pain wondered, peering at the broken girl on the floor before him. Deidara had kicked her so hard that several bones were broken, including one in her leg; and when she could no longer stand, he had resorted to holding her against a wall and striking her again and again in the face. Now, blood stained her fair skin and tangled her sand-coloured hand, and Pain could only imagine the bruising on her body.

Slowly he approached her, hearing the way she breathed jaggedly, seeing the tears carve their way down her blood-spattered cheeks. Unperturbed, Pain knelt down before Houseki, lowering his voice to a murmur.

'You hold your own very well, girl. You would rather die than give away the secrets of your jutsu, no?'

She croaked something through parted lips, though it was barely a word.

'It is your choice...you can tell me, or I can continue beating you until you die. Tomorrow, perhaps another of the Akatsuki would like to play with you. Hidan is always eager to let off some steam.'

Silence. Clearly, the girl was unconscious.

'Kakuzu,' Pain snapped, and the masked man stood to attention. 'Take this girl away.'

Wordlessly, the masked man came forward and seized Houseki by a tuff of her blonde hair. He then dragged her out of the room as though she were one of his beloved bounties, leaving a thin streak of blood on the floor as he went.

Deidara scoffed, 'What use is a girl like her to you, if she cannot even protect herself, un?'

'Because...even I have heard of the Kazue Clan's unique approach to handling chakra,' Pain answered. 'It is an incredibly rare thing indeed that a ninja can access the yin-yang chakra type, known among the Kazue as the _shiki_, or spirit; but somehow, the Kazue have known how to do it for centuries. And yet, Kazue Houseki seems to be the only one who can use it. Aside from this strange fact,' Pain looked troubled now, 'they say that all genjutsu have their origins in this estranged chakra type. And some genjutsu, particularly the Sharingun, have the ability to tame the tailed beasts.

'In essence, I wish to know how Kazue Houseki manages to access the _shiki _so easily, and what other jutsu this grants her. If it turns out that she can tame tailed-beasts with it - and, due to her positioning as the bodyguard of a jinchuuriki, I believe this is so - then she will help us to capture the nine-tails.'

Deidara suddenly laughed out loud, causing Pain to turn and glare at him sharply.

'That has to be a joke, un!' Deidara went on. 'If that girl had any sort of ability, especially the ability that allows her to access such a rare chakra type, she would have defended herself just now, un!'

'We shall find out,' Pain sighed. 'Deidara...you're dismissed for now.'

The blonde shinobi nodded and left the room, waving over his shoulder as he went. Pain watched him go, brow furrowed, until he moved to join Konan by the window. Grey shafts of sunlight were breaking through and rain and catching themselves in her soft violet hair, the silver stud in her lip, the eyeshadow framing her amber eyes. Had Pain now grown up with this girl, he might have even...

'Pain,' Konan suddenly spoke in her soft tone. 'Is the girl's torture...necessary?'

'I would not need to do it if she spoke,' her partner stated defensively.

'It seems silly,' Konan admitted, staring out into the blanket of rain that fell upon Amegakure. 'The powers this girl claims to have...they're impossible.'

Pain grimaced at that. 'What is it that Itachi said once? We cling to things we understand, and believe them to be reality. Why not believe in the ancient beliefs of a foreign clan?'

'The Kazue are foreign?'

'They were not originally from our shores, no: they came across from the mountains three centuries ago, and settled in Iron Country, the only place that would take them. What we call yin-yang, they call "spirit", believing it to be the balance of the human mind, body and soul.'

Konan said nothing. She merely turned from him, heading for the door, giving the blood on the floor a wide birth.

'Fine,' Pain suddenly growled, and Konan stopped. 'You do not like seeing that girl suffer? I will give her three days. If she has not spoken by then, I will put her out of her suffering.'

Konan felt a pain in her heart as she reached for the door handle. This was not the Nagato she remembered; and yet she followed him always, obeyed his every whim, even when she did not agree with him. But she did not like to anger him, either, even when she disagreed with the savage beating of a girl half their age.

'You say that Houseki's abilities are somehow related to genjutsu, and the Sharingan?' She thought aloud without turning around. When Pain remained silent, she went on: 'Then have Itachi talk to the Kazue girl. Perhaps he can unearth a clue.'

After a while, Pain murmured a "very well", if only to have Konan leave the room and take that cloud of gloom with her.

* * *

><p><em>Thirteen-year-old Gaara sat in the stone archway in quite an out-of-the-way street, watching the Suna nightlife pass by him; watching the men and women stumble in and out of bars like butterflies flitting from flower to flower, watching the gamblers run out of luck, watching the midnight ramen stalls and the columns of steam they sent up into the air as customers came and went in unending waves.<em>

_It was a strange night in Sunagakure - firstly, it was raining. Rarely did it ever rain in the desert, and when it rained, it _poured. _And so it was that Gaara was mildly amused watching the women shriek and hold anything from soup bowls to bags over their heads as they ran through the downpour, and the drunken men slipping over on the wet ground, only to face-plant into puddles moments later. Gaara wondered if he could ever join in their games...he knew that Kankuro and Temari did, and that they sometimes snuck sake from the locals bars when nobody was watching, but Gaara was yet to experience this. He supposed that any sort of alcohol would not sit well with Shukaku, either._

_'I suppose I'll head home then...' Gaara muttered to himself, though it seemed quite difficult to will himself from his shelter beneath the archway and out into the downpour. At that moment, however, he sensed a familiar tingle of chakra presence nearby, and looked up to the figure standing before him. The nearby lamplight illuminated hair made curly by the rain and green eyes he already knew well._

_'G-Gaara-sama?' _

_Houseki was standing beneath a waxed parasol, one that was painted bright red and decorated with images of koi carp swimming beneath lily pads. Despite the parasol, her outfit - consisting of a long-sleeved beige smock held in place by a leather waist cinch, a black scarf, leggings and red sand kunoichi sandals - was already quite wet._

_Gaara said nothing. He simply blinked up at her, part of his teenaged boy's mind straying to the fact that Houseki's rather saturated clothing was clinging rather closely to her -_

What was that, boy? _Shukaku chuckled, flitting across Gaara's mind briefly. _Her? I do suppose just a drop of her chakra-filled blood would be delicious...

_'Shut up...' Gaara whispered, clenching his eyes closed._

_'What was that?'_

_'Nothing...' Gaara stood in a hurry and headed out into the rain, hauling his gourd of sand further onto one shoulder as he went. The sound of sandals slapping on the wet road soon reached his ears, and he realised that the rain no longer fell onto his head. Pausing, he saw Houseki lingering at his side, but her eyes were cast to the road. Whenever she was in his presence, she did not often speak, and Gaara quite liked it that way. Still, she looked a little miserable, with the rain falling in tiny droplets from her overgrown fringe._

_Roughly, Gaara grumbled "here" and took a hold of the parasol's handle. Half a head taller than Houseki, he was able to hold it over both of them as they walked. She let go, breathed a thank you, and they continued walking in silence._

You know, _Shukaku's voice drawled inside Gaara's head again, and he winced. _No one would know if you took her down one of these alleys and ripped her apart -

Shut up, _Gaara thought viciously, thinking perhaps that the beast within him would hear that better. _I am not laying a hand on her!

_Softly, Houseki said, 'Shukaku...is he bothering you again?'_

_Gaara did not respond. Houseki added into the silence: 'I'm sorry...I shouldn't pry -' _

No, _thought Gaara. _You shouldn't.

_' - but sometimes, I feel like I can hear him mumbling...it's like the sound of very distant thunder.'_

It's the sound of my belly growling at the thought of devouring you whole, my dear, _Shukaku sneered._

Stop it! _Gaara shrieked inside his head._ Don't you dare...

_But Gaara's hand was shaking, the skin itching. He could feel the sand in his gourd trembling._

_Houseki sensed it, too. She paused, glancing over at her superior -_

_Who suddenly clamped a four-clawed hand of sand over her wrist and dragged her down the closest alley, eyes a maniacal flash of yellow in the dim streetlight. She screamed, but only briefly, for Shukau - who was gradually taking hold of Gaara's body - struck her across the face and sent blood across the nearest wall. He then threw her like a stone down the other end of the alley, where she struck the wall and fell, skull bleeding, into the sand._

_'No!' Gaara managed to choke. 'S-stop...stop...'_

_But he could not contain the beast within him; how Shukaku used his own hand, coated in an armour of patterned sand, to reach down and roll Houseki over, where she groaned and spat out a mouthful of sand made brown by the blood in her mouth. Wincing, she looked up at him, at the visage of a tanuki that had suddenly overtaken Gaara: it was as if he wore a sand mask resembling the snarling face of a racoon-dog._

_'What shall I cut open first?' Shukaku asked in a low growl, now having taken over Gaara's mouth. 'Your chest? But then again, the belly is always good to gut -'_

_Someone at the other end of the alley screamed. People had heard the commotion, but no one dared to run forward and save Houseki, pinned beneath the growling tailed-beast in the shadows of the alley. Her red parasol rolled about in the rain, forgotten._

_'Or,' Shukaku reached toward her face with a single claw. 'I could take an eye...?'_

_Houseki attempted a struggle, but Shukaku only laughed at this._

_'After watching you for several years, I have come to devise a few things about your fighting style, the most important being this: you cannot fight without your ring-blade. Why? Because it has your mandalas carved into it, the mandalas that you and your clan use to summon your elemental chakra. No doubt you carved them onto your ring-blade so that you did not have to draw them _every _time you needed to release your chakra: that would take far too long. Which also relates to the very name of your technique: _shikisharin-jutsu_, meaning "void wheel technique". You carry that ring-blade because it is literally a wheel, the same shape as your mandalas, and therefore intensifies your chakra. But one thing I do not understand...'_

_Shukaku leaned closer, his hot breath washing over Houseki's face. 'Your ring-blade has the mandalas, those wheel-shaped symbols, for only five elements: fire, water, earth, air and lightning. But not the sixth element, which you boast to have control over: the spirit. I wonder...where do you keep that?'_

_In response, Houseki whispered. 'I keep that close to my heart. Literally.'_

_Shukaku's eyes narrowed. 'What do you mean?'_

_Biting the side of her lip, Houseki went on. 'My father carved the spirit mandala onto my manubrium, the strongest bone closest to my heart. It was meant only to seal my overload of chakra into me, nothing more...but combined with that excessive chakra, it lets me access my mind and soul...and do this...'_

_Suddenly, Houseki's veins lit up, the brightest of blues, and Shukaku flinched. Then, seemingly without moving her body, Houseki _repelled _at him; it felt as though a ghost had given him a shove backward. At that same moment, Gaara felt his mind invaded not only by Shukaku, but also by Houseki - behind closed eyes, he watched what looked like her ghost run at Shukaku, leaving her body on the ground; and then watched her pass straight through his body and slam her palm with all of her force into the seal that kept the tailed-beast at bay within Gaara's body._

A genjutsu, _Gaara thought. _It must have been...

_But then Gaara - or, rather, Shukaku - screamed. The onlookers in the street gawked. Shukaku was retreating back into Gaara, who clutched at his head as he stumbled a few feet forward before collapsing into the sand. Almost immediately afterward, Houseki's veins ceased to glow and she gasped as if waking from a nightmare. Promptly afterwards, she vomited, but managed to stay conscious as a familiar puppet master raced down the alley toward her, eyes wide open._

_'Houseki-chan,' Kankuro gaped, running to hold her up before she passed out. Behind him, Temari had appeared to try and shake Gaara awake. 'What happened?'_

_Houseki was a frightful shade of white, hands trembling. She was soaked through to the bone by the rain, but despite all this, she would not take her eyes from Gaara._

_'I saw it all,' Kankuro breathed. 'How did you do that?'_

_Houseki was sick again, much to Kankuro's disgust. Still, he held tight to her until medics from the Suna hospital arrived, and a certain jounin instructor turned up to bark orders at everyone over the sound of the rain hammering down on the streets._

_'Take Gaara to the hospital for immediate treatment,' Baki was snapping, before he looked over at Houseki's ashen face and added: 'This one, too.'_

_Suddenly, Houseki's eyes rolled. Kankuro nearly screamed._

_'What?' Baki demanded, striding forward. 'What happened?'_

_Kankuro had broken out into a cold sweat. 'She...her heart -'_

_'Spit it out!' Baki snapped._

_'Her heart!' Kankuro shouted. 'Her heart's stopped!'_

_Somehow, even in his unconscious state, Gaara heard them. _

No... _The word wrung inside his head. _She can't be... _His brow twitched, and the medics who were placing him onto a stretcher all went still in shock, staring over at the puppet boy and the girl he held in his arms._

_Chaos suddenly broke out._

_'Her pulse is gone! Baki-sensei, she's really -'_

_'Get another stretcher! Get this girl to the hospital immediately!'_

_'Hurry!'_

_'Somebody call the Kazekage! His son's bodyguard...'_

_'Call ahead to the hospital! This is urgent!'_

_Somewhere amongst the shouts, Gaara managed to speak, though his voice was incredibly hoarse. Only one of the medics holding his stretcher heard him that night; heard him say "don't let her die. Please. I need her. Someone help. I need her."_

* * *

><p><em>Shukaku's attack on Houseki, and his subsequent defeat, meant several things for Gaara.<em>

_Firstly, he had come close to killing the one person he could even remotely call a friend - officially, she had been dead for two minutes. Revived by the Suna medic-nin, Houseki spent several days in hospital, during which the Kazekage and his other children, Kankuro and Temari, visited her - and yet Gaara refused to meet her face-to-face. _

_When his father announced that Houseki had "passed her ultimate test", he also declared that Houseki would become Gaara's bodyguard for the Chuunin exams. Although Temari was thrilled to have another girl following them around, Gaara was bordering on paranoid: what if Shukaku attacked again? What if he crushed Houseki in a single blow, like so many other nin?_

_Perhaps that was why his mood was so extreme when he first arrived in Konoha; perhaps that was why he so mercilessly killed the members of Team Shigure. Perhaps that was why he fought so hard, spurred on by his anger, an anger that ignited every time he saw Houseki's face._

_He hurt many people. He succumbed to Shukaku. When Houseki did not pull him back during his fight with Naruto, he flared up and their argument sounded as though it would end up with Gaara crushing her with the weight of his sand. Little did he know that Houseki had been pulled away at the last moment by Orochimaru's Sound nin; that they made sure she was not around, so that she could not interrupt Orochimaru's invasion of Konoha._

_But in that time, Gaara also learned something: that he was powerful enough to protect the people he cared for, and those powers could even shelter his entire village should it ever need him. His hateful energies could be used for so much more. And maybe, just maybe, he could gain the trust of his siblings and his guardian. He could become the next Kazekage._

_At fifteen years old, that is exactly what happened._

* * *

><p><span>Closing:<span>

That was very long...I apologise. But then again, I don't - because I want to reserve the entire next chapter for a very special flash-back :D The favourites and watches I have on this story are keeping me writing at the moment (but do feel free to leave a review, just to let me know you're actually reading~!) Also, I realise by now that this is a romance story and there hasn't been much THUS FAR but now that I have got Gaara and Houseki's background set up, I can move on to the better things about this story. And, honestly, I am _very _keen to write the next chapter, so please return to view it ;)


	6. Kazematsuri

Author's note:

Oh goodness, such lovely reviews and what-not for my last chapter :) Funny how just one little comment can spur you to write an entire chapter! This is the reward for reading through all the c r a p involving Houseki (I really needed to get her abilities down pat before I could take the story anywhere else), so now we can advance onto...goodness XD

* * *

><p><strong>So Close<strong>

Chapter 6: Kazematsuri ~ "I Want To Protect You"

_It was only natural that the Sunagakure council would select the previous Kazekage's son to become their Fifth - he was, after all, a jinchūriki, with abilities strong enough to shield the village from any troubles. And, since the events of the Chūnin exams, he had showed a quiet compassionate side that nobody guessed would be in the possession of a boy who had been dubbed 'a natural born killer' by many of the villagers._

_When the time for mourning the Fourth Kazekage passed, it was announced that a public ceremony would take place wherein Gaara stepped up to become the new Kazekage, followed by a festival that would apparently become tradition for all future Kage's from hereon in. Gaara was surprised at such a suggestion, for Suna had never been the type of village to throw a party for just one person. He had a slight suspicion that Kankurō and Temari had something to do with it._

_On the eve of the Kazematsuri, Gaara felt, perhaps for the first time in his life, nervous._

_The village's councillors milled about him for much of the afternoon, congratulating him and asking Gaara what he may say in his speech, and Gaara spoke with them as warmly as possible, whilst feeling like he had a stone in his throat for much of the time._

_'You look like you're about to pass out, bro,' Kankurō joked, clapping an arm around his brother's shoulders as dusk faded into twilight and crowds began to mingle in the streets, where hundreds of stalls had been propped up, selling everything from prayer beads to candied applies, whilst others were dedicated entirely to games where winners could take home a stuffed animal. A band even played somewhere on the main stream, the sound of drums and shamisen and flutes drifting up toward the twilight sky. Gaara had watched the entire scene unfold from his new office, in disbelief that all these people were gathering just for _him...

How strange, _he thought to himself, and a tiny smile touched his lips._

_'Hey, you two!' _

_The brothers turned to see Temari making her way into the office, dressed in traditional attire similar to the other Suna women: a brightly-coloured _yukata,_ a much thinner summer kimono, with the village's forehead protector fastened to the _obi_, the patterned belt that kept the yukata closed. Images of golden bells and fireworks shimmered on the deep purple colour of the yukata, whilst Temari also wore her hair out in a way that made __Kankur__ō sneer._

_'What's with the hair, Temari? Trying to snag a date at the festival, are we?'_

_Gaara joined in. 'I hear that Yūra has a thing for you.'_

_A much smaller version of Temari's famous fan flew out of her sleeve and into her hand, at which she proceeded to smack brother across the face with it._

_'Baka!' She snapped at __Kankur__ō, who rubbed his cheek where the fan had hit him. 'And you -' she rounded on Gaara, whose face was straight, '- since when have you started making jokes? I think I liked it better when you were quiet.' She was joking of course - she could not hide the grin from her face._

_'Temari's right,' __Kankur__ō chimed up. 'Not that we're complaining...but we're happy for you, brother. And now look at you...the Kazekage!'_

_Gaara grimaced, slightly embarrassed. It was true that his run-in with the jinchūriki Uzumaki Naruto had changed him, allowing him to see the value in friendship and bonds, but perhaps Naruto was not the sole contributor to his "soft side", as __Kankur__ō called it._

_An assistant arrived at the door then, announcing that the council and Honoured Elders were expecting Gaara down on the main stage in fifteen minutes. Gaara blanched, and it made his hair seem just a shade brighter._

_'Don't be nervous!' __Kankur__ō sung out, slapping Gaara on the back so hard that he nearly threw up. 'Let's go!'_

* * *

><p><em>The crowd that had amassed was much greater than Gaara had first anticipated: it seemed as though every soul in the village had merged on the centre of Sunagakure, toward the little stage decorated with illuminated, hanging lanterns and a large sh<em>_ō__ji screen, behind which Gaara stood as he awaited to be presented to his people. Apart from the Sunagakure council members and his siblings, Gaara was to be welcomed on stage by his j__ō__unin instructor Baki and the Elders Chiyo and Ebizo, both of whom very rarely approached the village. Ever. Gaara noticed how distant the Elders were from everybody else, but could not go over to them now: one of the councillors was fussing over his acceptance speech and kept giving him (admittedly useless) pointers to counter nerves._

_Gaara, in truth, was not really listening. Frowning, he glanced over at Temari. 'Have you seen Houseki?'_

_Temari sighed, hands on her hips. 'Baki says she isn't allowed up on stage...she isn't part of the Sunagakure council or a member of the family. I told him he was stupid, but there was no changing his mind.'_

_Gaara nodded and turned back to the stage. It was odd. For years, he had become as accustomed to Houseki as he had to Shukaku (although the former did not constantly demand the blood of those she was close to), and for her not to be here tonight, of all times... Gaara could feel the sweat on his palms. She was one of the very few people he could count as a friend; and weren't such special occasions meant to be spent with friends?_

_On the stage, a man was speaking with the crowd; declaring that tonight they would welcome their new Kazekage into Suna, and many people seemed to be clapping or waving colourful flags with Suna's symbol upon it. For a moment, Gaara imaged the crowd suddenly turning rabid and throwing food at him for all the fear he had generated in the past - but then the village council and the Elders were moving onto the stage, and in a blur he was following them._

_And what he saw from the stage amazed him._

_The crowd of people stretched far down the street, as far as the lanterns' light would reach, and people were cheering and waving those flags whilst parents hoisted their children onto their shoulders so that they might get a better look at the Kazekage's new initiation ceremony. Gaara could not imagine why so many people were we pleased to see him - perhaps everyone had drunk one drop too many of the local sake? Or perhaps, they were finally willing to place their hopes in a new Kazekage, one that would not defile their relationships with the neighbouring villages or make pacts with men who were more monster than human. A brighter dawn would rise in Suna tomorrow._

_Gaara stood to the front of the stage, and allowed Chiyo to drape his Kazekage robes about him: blue and white they were, seemingly heavy with the amount of responsibility that came with them. Chiyo bowed to him afterward, but Gaara bowed lower as a sign of respect. _

_Now it was his time to speak. For a few moments, Gaara's voice felt very choked, but after taking a deep breath, a new surge of strength passed through him. The crowd fell quiet._

_'People of Sunagakure...I thank you most humbly for the celebrations this evening; I understand that this is the first time that something like this has occurred, and I am glad that you can all enjoy this night together. But, moreover, I have to thank you all for having faith...this village has seen some very difficult times, under the rule of a difficult Kazekage...but his devotion to Sunagakure cannot be denied. So strong was this devotion that he sought to create a weapon out of a boy...'_

_At this Gaara paused. Too many eyes were upon him. Surely everybody remembered what he had once been? An uncontrollable killer, at times, due to the demon sealed within him by his father. He went on._

_'Tonight, I am no longer that boy. I have grown, and now seek to become someone who is needed, instead of wanted as a weapon that is feared...as the Kazekage of Sunagakure -' a scattered, enthusiastic applause at this, ' - I understand that the task is great, but I will restore Sunagakure to its former glory, using our new alliance with Konohagakure. They say that I am now your shadow...and I promise each and every one of you, that I will shield this __village with every ounce of my strength for as long as it remains within me.'_

_The applause swept through the crowd like a great wind borne out of nowhere. A great weight seemed to lift from __Gaara's shoulders then, and __Kankur__ō and Temari appeared at his sides. Smiling. At him._

_Then the rainbow lights of fireworks pierced the sky and the Kazematsuri truly began._

* * *

><p><em>The festival as was colourful as it was loud, bright as it was chaotic, and attended by so many that Gaara had a hard time making it a few meters down the streets without someone wanting to stop and congratulate him. Everywhere the lanterns were aglow and the stands were packed with people eating and drinking and enjoying the warm atmosphere, and in between them children ran with koi-shaped kites or sat about greedily devouring their candied apples. The band played incessantly through the night, and the main stage became a small theatre where puppets (completely controlled by <em>_Kankur__ō) re-enacted Suna's folklore to entertain young and old alike._

_Everywhere, people were smiling and playing games or simply sitting back and admiring the fireworks, exploding in the sky like flaming flowers - and Gaara was amazed. He could believe how happy people had become in this single night. Could his actions have possibly made the villagers this happy? Everywhere stall owners were offering him free noodles or lollies, or good luck charms for him to hang by the temple; Gaara felt as though this was a different world to the one he had known previous, a world that had been hard and sharp to the touch..._

_'Kazekage-sama?'_

_For some reason, that voice made Gaara halt. Turning, he saw his faithful bodyguard Houseki standing behind him, carrying a yellow paper lantern in her hands that made the gold thread in her black kimono shine. Hundreds of yellow, pink and white flowers outlined in metallic thread shone out at Gaara from an otherwise dark kimono, tied with a red and gold _obi _belt, and Houseki had donned a red hair accessory in the likeness of a peacock in her blonde hair, which she usually wore loose. She smiled at him lightly and bowed, clutching the lantern close._

_He was stumped momentarily. Houseki wore a short kimono-esque robe every day, and yet the garment she wore tonight was truly a thing of beauty; possibly something passed down from her mother. He also noted the prayer beads and kanji-marked tag, a gift from him on Houseki's twelfth birthday, hanging from her obi, and he fought to hide a broad smile from his face. What appeared on his face instead was a thinner smile than he had hoped._

_'Houseki,' he started in a low voice, 'I...didn't see you at the ceremony...'_

_'Oh, I was there,' she said. 'I was nearly crushed between that overenthusiastic Might Guy and his student Lee, however. "The power of friendship conquers all!", they kept screaming.'_

_Gaara's smile grew a little. He had almost forgotten about the Konoho ninja he had invited out of courtesy to the Kazematsuri, believing it was time that Suna reclaimed its old ties to the Fire Country's most important village. Out of all of them, he had wished that Uzumaki Naruto could have joined them, but Gaara had heard from his remaining team mate that he had left with the legendary Sannin Jiraiya some short time ago._

_'Are you enjoying yourself?' Houseki asked, and Gaara realised that she sounded rather formal and polite. Momentarily baffled, he wondered if she had always spoken with him in this manner...perhaps he had never noticed, with his mind so occupied by such a storm of hateful emotions. Having left Konoha with a slightly enlightened view on the people around him however, Gaara was beginning to see just how downtrodden Houseki had been over the years; almost killed by him, _twice, _and abandoned by her clan. Never truly belonging in Suna. Constantly under strain. Never with someone to talk to._

_Finally, Gaara realised Houseki was waiting for a response to her question._

_'I...have not been to many festivals in my life -' well, that was a half truth, '- so I am still...looking around.'_

_'Have you played any of the games? Or tried the green tea ice cream yet?'_

They can make ice cream out of tea? _Gaara thought. Instead, he simply shook his head._

_'Well, then,' Houseki stepped up beside him and nodded toward a store not too far down the road. Supposing that he was meant to follow, Gaara made his way through the crowd by her side, to a store where many children clambered about in an attempt to grasp the shopkeeper's attention. The store owner was too busy ogling at the Kazekage as he approached the stand however, and quickly shooed the children away with a few swipes of his ice cream scoop._

_'Kazekage-sama?' The stall owner bowed very swiftly, missing the front counter by a hair's breadth._

_In Gaara's place, Houseki spoke: 'A scoop of your green tea ice cream please, Ringo-san. And I'll have your __lychee, please.'_

_'Ah, anything for the Kazekage-sama!' said Mister Ringo, quickly diving into the freezers behind the front counter, looking rather proud of himself. He was also excited about the number of customers that Gaara's presence seemed to have attracted. Promptly he handed Gaara a waffle cone supporting a huge lump of green ice cream, before handing Houseki her own whitish-pink ice cream._

_'No charge for the Kazekage...and his guardian,' Mister Ringo winked. He then looked past Gaara and Houseki and sung out: 'Ah, Konoha ninja? What a surprise!'_

_Gaara and Houseki turned to see a small crowd of Konoha's recent graduates behind them, not withstanding Hatake Kakashi and his (only remaining) student Haruno Sakura, Might Guy and his bushy-browed student Rock Lee, and a handful of other tag-alongs; Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba and the famous Shika-Ino-Cho, and a few other faces that Gaara was familiar with. The most enthusiastic of the group however was Akamaru, Kiba's faithful hound, who have a great bark of excitement and leapt at Houseki. Grinning, she knelt down to hug the large white dog like a friend._

_'Really, Akamaru...' Kiba grumbled. 'You've been happier to see _her _more than anyone else all night...'_

_'So. Kazekage now, Gaara!' Kakashi said over the top of him. 'Congratulations. I do hope Suna prospers under a, uh, fresher kage.'_

_'Thank you, Kakashi-san.' Gaara regarded him with respect, and allowed the comment regarding his father to fly on by._

_'AKAMARU! THAT'S NOT YOUR ICE CREAM!'_

_Akamaru already had a waffle cone poking out of his canine jaws, and he wined slightly despite Kiba's complaint._

_'It's alright,' Houseki said, waving a hand at Kiba and smiling. 'He can have it. It was free, anyway.'_

_Choji's mouth dropped. 'Free? You can get _free _food here?' After this, Ino hit him across the back of the head, reminding him to be polite in the presence of Suna's new kage._

_'KAZEKAGE-SAMA! I AM PROUD TO HAVE FOUGHT BESIDE SUCH A STRONG SOUL AS YOURS!' Rock Lee suddenly proclaimed so loudly that Gaara jumped. 'Now I can tell everyone that I, Rock Lee, have witnessed the awesome power of the Fifth Wind Shadow!'_

_'Troublesome big-mouth...' uttered Shikamaru, who had been standing right next to Lee and now considered himself half-deaf for the evening._

_Kakashi now turned to Houseki. 'And Houseki-chan...good luck in guarding such a prolific young shinobi. Judging by what I've seen though, you'll have no problem.'_

_In response, Houseki turned bright red and hurried to bow to him in thanks. The Konoha ninja then surged on Mister Ringo's ice cream stall, Kiba and Lee fighting to be served first and Sakura and Ino shouting for them to shut up. In amongst all their noise, Gaara dropped his voice and said to Houseki: 'I must pray at the temple...the Elders said it would be for luck. Come with me.'_

_Houseki glanced at him, and her expression was something Gaara could not read for now. Still, she nodded, and they headed off down the road away from the rowdy Konoha kids. _

_As they went, Gaara heard Kakashi say to Might Guy: 'There's something you don't see every day...maybe that tattoo will become literal, after all.'_

* * *

><p><em>Gaara and Houseki wandered from the lights and noise of the Kazematsuri toward one of Suna's main shrines, constructed deep within a limestone cave formed inside Suna's walls centuries ago. The crowds here were quieter - mostly older Suna folk come to pay their respects - and the way was lit with many red lanterns hung about the cave's mouth. The Kazekage and his bodyguard walked in silence, passing beneath the <em>tori _gate and ascending the stone stairs into the cave, where candles replaced lanterns and people's shadows loomed against the stone statues of the past kage and the many faces of the land's gods. _

_'Oh, Kazekage-sama,' Houseki suddenly broke through the silence, reading into her kimono and taking from it a small wooden plaque. An _ema_. Used for inscribing wishes and hopes, and left hanging at the temple for the _kami _to __receive. Gaara glanced down at it hesitantly._

_'I thought...as Kazekage, perhaps you have a wish for Suna?' Houseki suggested, offering him the ema. 'Or yourself.'_

_Slowly, Gaara took it from her. He had never thought of something he would like for himself. He watched as Houseki knelt by the light of a candle in a nearby crevasse to write upon her own ema, and could not help but follow her written words with his eyes:_

"I ask to be closer to the people I love. I ask that they always be protected, even if I cannot watch over them, or follow in their shadow in order to steer them in the right direction. And please watch over my brother, Kohaku, who I miss every day with all my heart."

_The ema complete, Houseki hung it upon the cave wall with the myriad of others. Seeing that Gaara had not yet written upon his own, she progressed to the main chamber of the shrine, alight with the most candles, and proceeded to pray before the likeness of the kami before her, clapping her hands together once in front of her before bowing her head._

_Gaara scribbled something upon his ema and slipped it up beside Houseki's, hoping that no one would recognise his writing, before hurrying to join her in the main chamber. There he prayed for Suna, and it's people, and for guidance in his path as its new Kazekage, before opening his eyes to find Houseki waiting for him._

_'Shall we head back? There's a game I want to try where you knock down bottles and win a prize depending on how many fall down. Seems like something ninja would be good at, despite how rigged the game is.'_

_Gaara laughed under his breath and followed her down the stone stairwell, back out into the lantern-lit nightlife. Passing back beneath the _tori _gate however, Gaara found himself stopping and suddenly calling to Houseki a few steps ahead of him. She turned, sleeves of her kimono swinging, dark green eyes barely lit by the lanterns on the stairs._

_'Yes, Kazekage-sama?' She asked._

_He hesitated. 'Gaara. You can call me Gaara, you know?'_

_Her smile was faint, but she smiled nonetheless. Then she nodded._

_What Gaara said next was like an electric pulse being shot through a previously numb heart: 'I have known you for years now. Nine years. And never, once, have I ever said thank you.'_

_'It's merely my job,' Houseki answered almost mechanically. 'I don't -'_

_'Let me finish,' said Gaara, and he tried to smile afterwards, but he was too shaky. 'I just...'_

_The space beneath the tori gate had never seemed quieter. Houseki had never looked so bewildered._

_Then Gaara blurted out: 'Please do not ever think you are alone here. My siblings care for you. And I know I've hurt you in the past...I know you have scars in many places because you tried to befriend the little boy who was more of a weapon than a human. But please don't be afraid of me anymore...I want to protect you, too.'_

_For a long while, Houseki was silent, the wind playing in her fair hair. Without meaning to, Gaara reached out to every grain of sand in that wind, bringing it in close to Houseki, but somehow she stepped back against it, against any sort of offer to bring her closer. Gaara was instantly shocked at himself, and wavered._

_'Thank you,' Houseki muttered. Then she added: 'Shall we return to the festival?'_

_Gaara nodded, moving back to her side. He never mentioned that conversation to anybody afterwards, and always regretted that he had never said what he truly meant._

* * *

><p><span>Closing:<span>

_/facepalm/ _That was really long. So sorry. But I really loved revelling in the idea of everyone celebrating Gaara's rise to the rank of kage! And I wanted to extend that scene with the Konoha kids but it would have gone every which where, there were so many of them. And cripes, there was plenty of ooc-ness there, especially for Gaara. Forgive me - but also let me know what you thought! :)

Next chapter: ENTER ITACHI and (I promise) a shorter chunk of writing.


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